A quick trip to Dividend Pond in Rocky Hill, Connecticut. A pleasant trail around the pond with a waterfall and ruins!
Man, have I been busy! Luckily for me my home state is filled with little day hikes galore, with plenty of interesting things to see. Dividend Pond is located in the town of Rocky Hill Ct and was once the site of the areas first serious industry. For centuries it was a bunch of various gristmills and sawmills, but the very first non slip horseshoe was invented here and the patent eventually sold for $10,000 around 1866.
The power to run these mills and machines was provided by the nearby pond, streams and waterfalls. While we could only find a single waterfall near the parking lot it happens to be a well known fall and quite photogenic! This lower area of the park also displays the ruins of the horseshoe "drop forge", and the largest ruins on the site which are of a toy factory! Located primarily at the top of this water fall.
You'll find a dam at the top of this waterfall and another one somewhat hidden in brush at the top of the pond. This one includes a sluice way that is still visible today.
A strange feature of this site is that the hike on the eastern side also includes a walk along a residential road. Taking this brings you to a separate trail but upon exploring we were unable to see any ruins, simply marked spots where properties were once located.
For a simple day hike that loops nicely around a plesant pond, includes a waterfall and ruins with history, this is a hard location to beat!
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